State golf roundup: Burlington Central places 3rd at 2A tournament for best finish in school history

Boys golf

Class 2A state tournament: At Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Burlington Central secured its best finish in program history, finishing in third place with a two-day score of 620. Ottawa won the team title with a 609, followed by Benton (616) in second.

The Rockets climbed three spots in the standings after sitting in sixth place after Day 1 with a 315. Central improved by 10 shots with a 305 Saturday to finish third and beat its previous best finish of fourth place in 2013. Last year, the Rockets took ninth as a team.

Junior Tyler Samaan paced the Rockets with a 80-70-150, which tied him for 11th individually.

Senior Cam Sarallo tied for 33rd with a 80-76-156, senior Matthew Kowalik tied for 36th with a 76-81-157, sophomore Tommy Wyse tied for 54th with a 84-78-162, senior Ben Chesney tied for 57th with a 79-84-163, and sophomore Matthew Zierk tied for 84th with a 81-93-174.

Samaan chopped 10 strokes off his first round with a 1-under-par 70 Saturday, recording four birdies.

“We won conference for the first time, then sectionals, now this,” Samaan said. “It’s pretty cool. We were hoping for first place, but you can’t always get that. It’s just a starting point for me. I can build off this for the rest of the year, some IJGA and AJGA tournaments.”

Prairie Ridge senior Payton Harlow, making his state debut, tied for 80th with a 81-91-172. Harlow had five pars in his Day 2 round. Harlow shot a 41 on the front nine and 40 on the back in the first round, recording two birdies.

Class 3A state tournament: At The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington, Crystal Lake Central senior Jack Bice, a three-time state qualifier, finished with a two-day score of 75-77-152, tying for 27th. Bice had a 40 on the front nine and 37 on the back, recording two birdies and nine pars.

On Friday in the first round, Bice had a 36 on the front nine and 39 on the back with four birdies and eight pars.

Crystal Lake Central sophomore Asher Johnson tied for 40th with a 79-77-156. Johnson shot a 37 on the front nine and 40 on the back with two birdies and nine birdies in his final round of the season. In the first round, Johnson had a 38 on the front nine and 41 on the back, making one birdie and 11 pars.

Hampshire’s Seth Gillie, a two-time state qualifier, did not advance to Saturday’s second round after shooting a 93 in the first round.

Class 1A state tournament: At Prairie Vista in Bloomington, Marian Central senior Peter Louise, a three-time state qualifier, tied for 30th with a two-day total of 80-79-159. In the second round, Louise had one birdie and 12 pars.

During Friday’s first round, Louise had a 37 on the front nine and a 43 on the back. He posted birdies on Nos. 6 and 8, along with eight pars.

Marian senior Mason Graf, making his state debut, tied for 41st with a 85-77-162. Graf had a birdie and 11 birdies in his second round. In the first round Friday, he shot a 40 on the front nine and 45 on the back with two birdies and six pars.

Girls golf

Class 2A state tournament: At Hickory Point in Forsyth, Crystal Lake Central co-op senior Delaney Medlyn tied for 32nd with an 82-77-159. Medlyn, making her second state appearance, carded a 36 on the front nine and 41 on the back, making one birdie and 11 pars.

During Friday’s first round, Medlyn had a 39 on the front nine and 43 on the back. She had one birdie and eight pars. The Cary-Grove senior entered state winning McHenry County, Fox Valley Conference, regional and sectional titles.

Prairie Ridge senior Jenna Albanese tied for 47th with an 82-81-163. Albanese, making back-to-back state appearances, had a 39 on the front nine and 42 on the back. She made nine pars. During her first round, Albanese had one birdie and eight pars, finishing with a 41 on the front nine and 41 on the back.

Class 1A state tournament: At Red Tail Run in Decatur, Marian Central senior Nina Notaro tied for 28th with a two-day score of 80-89-169. Notaro, in her second consecutive state appearance, had a 45 on the front nine and 44 on the back, making seven pars.

On Day 1, Notaro had a 41 on the front nine and 39 on the back while making 12 pars.

Notaro’s teammate, freshman Jordan Cheng, qualified for state but withdrew in order to compete with the high school’s girls tennis team at sectionals.

• Shaw Local correspondent Tim Cronin contributed to this report.